Cutting inserts can be provided with a chip-control arrangement for controlling the flow of and/or controlling the shape and size of the swarf and debris resulting from metalworking operations.
Such chip-control arrangements usually consist of recesses and/or projections located near a cutting edge of the insert. Upon encountering the recesses and/or projections, metal chips can be created with specific shapes and can then be evacuated therefrom.
Various chip-control arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,182,555, U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,845, U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,971, U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,339, U.S. Pat. No. 8,137,035 and CN101870017.
For threading operations the shape of the cutting edge of the cutting insert is determined by the desired pointed form of the thread itself. However, the corresponding pointed form of the cutting edge is not the most advantageous shape for turning operations, and can lead to the cutting insert becoming damaged and unsuitable for use. To overcome this problem, one compromise is to achieve the desired depth of cut of the thread by performing several ‘passes’ on the work-piece, as opposed to a single ‘pass’. Stated differently, the cutting operation is performed several times. Each ‘pass’ cuts deeper in to the work-piece, until the desired thread depth is achieved. Moreover, the multiple passes can be performed in one of several cutting methods. For example, the passes can be radial. That is to say, the tool is fed in a right angle to the work-piece. Alternately, flank infeed passes can be performed, whereby the tool is fed at an angle, usually between 3°-5°, in to the workpiece. Regardless of the cutting method performed, more than one pass is usually required.